The Embattled Ladies of Little Rock: 1958-1963 the Struggle to Save Public Education at Central High

Amidst political and social upheaval, lynchings, riots, and boycotts, there arose a small band of courageous white ladies, determined to keep Little Rock high schools open to all students. In 1958 they formed the Women’s Emergency Committee to Open Our Schools (WEC). Reproached at first for meddling in the affairs of men, recriminations later became violent as WEC efforts began meeting with success. When threats could not deter them, their adversaries resorted to guns and bombs. Working to right the wrongs that were 200 years in the making, these ladies paid dearly for their convictions: many lost their jobs, their homes, and their social standing. History, too, has been unkind, either ignoring them or reviling them for their values, for being all white, and for their willingness to work for change within a corrupt system. Regardless of their detractors’ condemnation, the women of the WEC were skilled strategists who identified their goals and understood the obstacles. They knew what